The Worst Intentions
by Darkest Ember
Summary: Klaus knows the lengths that Damon would go to for Elena's protection and needs to make him stop. When Klaus finds out that Rebekah has drained Damon of vervain, he takes advantage of the situation and compels Damon to act on his darkest fantasies to keep him occupied.
1. Chapter 1

The Worst Intentions

By: Darkest Ember

Chapter 1

* * *

Klaus added a final dash of paint to the canvas and stepped back to admire his efforts. He shook his head and chuckled softly.

Despite everything that was going on between Esther trying to kill him and Stefan's rebellious streak, Klaus still found the time to indulge in a simple hobby.

His enjoyment was short-lived once the smell of blood filtered into his senses. He spun around and found Rebekah sitting on a nearby couch, wiping a rather large blade.

"It appears someone's had a busy day," he remarked.

She shrugged and wiped the last streak of blood away. "I had a little play-date with one of the Salvatore's."

"How unfortunate for him," Klaus snickered.

"Don't be an ass," she said, glaring over at him. "Besides, now Damon will know better than to use me for his perverted schemes."

"What did you do to the poor lad?"

Rebekah's lips spread into a wicked smirk. "He's still here. Go see for yourself."

* * *

Damon's body hung limply from the chains. The room was silent, except for the occasional sound of blood dripping onto the plastic covering beneath him. Even though he was in extreme pain, all he could feel was his self-loathing.

How could he have been so stupid to let Rebekah get away with this?

The only thing that prevented him from driving a stake through his own heart was that she did this for her own petty reasons and not as a means to keep him occupied while the Original psychopaths went after Elena.

Damon groaned as he heard footsteps heading in his direction. What else did she plan on doing? Although it would kill his pride, he wouldn't mind having her mess with his mind a little more. Maybe this time he could see him and Elena doing something more….romantic.

He laughed weakly, despite himself. He hated how pathetic and love-struck he'd become. All because of one human girl.

"This is what you consider excellent torture?" Klaus taunted, upon seeing Damon's dangling body.

Rebekah crossed her arms over her chest defensively. "I'm draining his body of vervain in one of the most painful ways possible."

Klaus had to admit that that was a rather impressive task. He stalked over to Damon, who was trying his best to keep his head held high and a glare alit in his eyes.

"Let's see how well you did," Klaus murmured. He reached out and tightly gripped Damon's jaw. Damon attempted to resist, but he was simply too weak. Once Klaus's pupils dilated, he was lost.

"I think it's time for you to go home," he commanded. A brief look of horror washed over Damon's face once he realized what Klaus's command entailed.

Before he could protest, Damon could feel his limbs moving against his own control. Strips of skin peeled backward off his arms as he tugged against the jagged edges clamped around them.

He couldn't help but scream out in absolute pain as deep wounds would heal and then reopen, seemingly with twice as much blood spilling out than the last time.

Klaus laughed and held his hands up. "Alright I think that's enough of a demonstration."

Damon sucked in a huge gasp of air as he felt his body go limp. He couldn't remember the last time he felt so physically exhausted.

"So what are you going to do to him, oh master torturer?" Rebekah asked, rolling her eyes. Damon found just enough strength to lift his head and watch Klaus's every move. He didn't like where this could be going.

It took Klaus a moment or two before he hatched a plan. His eyes were brightened with amusement and curiosity and a devilish smirk stretched across his lips.

"I think I've found a way to handle one of our many complications and give Damon here a little compensation for having to spend any entire day with you, dear sister."

Rebekah was intrigued with what Klaus had been saying, up until she heard that last part. "_Please_, Niklaus, don't fool yourself. I'm sure he'd prefer a day with me over you."

"Was that supposed to be an insult?" he laughed, nearly forgetting about his brilliant plan.

Damon, with what little consciousness he had left, watched the sibling's exchange in confusion. "Are you supposed to be 1,000 or 10? You sound like a couple of pre-schoolers," he managed to get out between breaths.

Rebekah and Klaus stopped mid-argument and simultaneously turned to give Damon a harsh glare. Klaus walked over to Damon, stepping right into his personal space. "I'm going to pretend that you didn't just say that."

"Playing make-believe now?" Damon taunted and tried to laugh but it came out as more of a wheeze.

Klaus was about to rip Damon's heart out right then and there, but Rebekah shouted out before he could. "Will you stop being so childish? Compel him to do whatever this grand plan of yours is so we can get on with things."

Although he didn't want to admit it, Klaus knew that for once Rebekah was the one thinking clearly here. Begrudgingly, he controlled himself and instead focused on the greater task at hand.

"Anyone with eyes can see that you love Elena," he began. "But let's be honest here, do you really think she'd ever pick you over Stefan?"

Damon found himself at a loss for words. The heated anger boiling in the pit of his stomach seemed to be bringing him back to life, nevertheless. "Now that you've turned baby bro into a monster, I don't think his chances are any better than mine."

"Your brother is nothing like how he was last summer, believe me. At this rate, he'll be back on the path to righteousness in no time."

"What's your point?" Damon asked tiredly.

Klaus smirked. "I might not be able to improve your odds, but I can still give you what you want."

"Go on."

"I have you pegged as the type of guy who once he gets what he wants, he won't want it anymore. So, once you get your fair share of Elena, you won't be such a loyal bodyguard anymore, which means you'll be out of my way."

"That's where you're wrong."

Klaus didn't bother continuing their banter. He stared Damon down and waited until the compulsion began to settle in before issuing his command. "You're going to act on all your darkest fantasies with Elena. Turning off your emotions might help you in this task, but I'll leave that up to you. I don't care what you do to her, so long as you keep her alive."

He turned to face Rebekah. "Let him go."

Rebekah had to admit – she was rather startled by her brother's command. What would make him even think of that in the first place? During the times she's spent with Damon, though she was mostly distracted by the sex, she still noticed something about him.

His love for Elena was _real_.

And she doubted that he would ever surrender Elena once she belonged to him.

* * *

In the next chapter: Damon confronts Elena and things get very...dark. Will Damon be able to break free from the compulsion before he does something terrible to Elena?

Leave a review and let me know what you think so far. It means a lot!


	2. Chapter 2

The Worst Intentions

By: Darkest Ember

Chapter 2

* * *

Instead of taking a moment to grab a blood bag, or find a human donor, Damon sped directly over to the Gilbert residence. His healing process was much slower than usual, and he could still feel some of the deep lacerations closing up underneath his tattered shirt.

Klaus' compulsion began settling into his mind, slithering through his subconscious like a snake.

That was all the more reason that he needed to see Elena _soon_. Although a part of him was disturbingly thrilled with the potential of this compulsion, his recently revived humanity wanted to explain the situation to her before he lost all control.

* * *

It was getting late, yet even after everything she did during the day, Elena was completely restless. But unlike other sleepless nights, she knew exactly what was keeping her awake and on edge.

Damon Salvatore.

After finding out that Rebekah attacked Damon, she begged Stefan to come help her rescue him. But he refused.

As much as it pained Elena to admit, she knew that killing Klaus had become a priority over her long ago. But for Stefan to ignore his own brother…

Accepting that she just simply couldn't fall asleep right now, Elena sat up against the headboard and hugged her teddy bear tightly to her chest. Tears spilled down her cheeks as she thought back to times when her and Stefan had a perfect relationship, even with all the danger that surrounded them.

Back when she knew for sure that she only had feelings for Stefan, and not his brother, too.

Her subconscious began torturing her with images of Damon dying. She could never say it aloud, but deep down Elena knew that her life would never be the same if she lost Damon.

"I've been missing all day, and you're only just _now_ crying over me?"

Elena gasped, noticing a shadowy silhouette standing at the end of her bed. She scrambled for the lamp and illuminated the room, still slightly startled by Damon's sneaking abilities.

"You're okay," she said, a small bit of excitement resounding in her hushed voice.

"Not exactly," he replied, stumbling over to the empty spot on her bed. It didn't take Elena long to notice the ripped clothing and bloodstains.

"Why aren't you healing?" She frantically tore at his shirt, trying to get a better assessment of his wounds.

"That's kind of what I came here to talk about. As much as it kills me to admit, that hybrid pretty-boy and his bitchy sister got me good…"

"What did they do?"

"More or less, they bled the vervain right out of my body."

"I didn't even know that was possible," Elena murmured. "Did…did they compel you to do anything?"

Damon's saddened stare burned into Elena's flesh. The sorrow in those crystalline eyes was all the answer Elena needed. The wheels in her mind were turning at a rapid pace. Maybe if she knew _what_ he was compelled to do, she could help prevent it.

She reached out and touched Damon's face, bringing him closer to her. "Just tell me what they told you to do," she said softly.

Normally someone who had been compelled, be it vampire or human, wouldn't be able to say that they were or what their orders were. Yet despite the physical and emotional torture Damon had endured prior to the compulsion, he still found a sliver of strength to fight off the compulsion just a little longer.

"You're…you're probably not going to like it," he said, smiling sadly.

Elena's confidence quivered, but she put on a brave face. "Hey," she said, forcing him to look at her. "We'll get through this together, okay?"

"I wouldn't be so sure about that. The compulsion…it involves you."

A confused frown spread across Elena's face as she tried to imagine what he could mean by that. "How?"

"Klaus compelled me to…well, to basically do whatever I want with you. He compelled me to satisfy my desires."

He sat there and watched as the color began draining from her face. She laughed nervously. "So he compelled you to make out with me?"

Damon's eyes darkened as soon as he let his demented mind wander. "No," he said lowly, leaning forward until his lips were barely inches away from Elena's. "He compelled me to fuck you…to bite you…to make you beg for more…whatever I want."

As Elena's throat constricted, Damon began salivating.

The last time he tasted her blood had been the night he thought he was going to die. He wanted the first time he bit her to be a bit more…pleasurable, but regardless of the experience itself, he could never forget the way she tasted.

Now that the burden of telling Elena had been lifted, all Damon could think about was her blood. He stared her down, a dark hunger clouding his eyes. He watched the way Elena's chest heaved up and down…the way the veins swelled along her neck.

Elena held her hands out as she took a couple steps backward. "Damon, you're better than this. You're better than him. I know you can overcome this."

Before he could stop himself, a cruel chuckle rumbled in his chest. "Oh I know I can stop it, Elena. But maybe I don't want to. Maybe I want to be able to enjoy myself for once in my life."

As a part of her naturally compassionate personality, Elena felt a slight pang of sadness for him. But she couldn't let him do those things to her. There had to be another way.

"I thought you said that you wanted everything between us to be real and not compelled," she whispered. "Would this really be what you wanted…if it's at Klaus' command?"

Damon's expression softened for a moment, but he quickly recovered. "Of course I'd prefer it to be real, but I'm tired of playing this game with you. Let's be honest with each other, this is the _only_ way. I'm being forced to do it, which means I don't have to worry about holding back anymore."

The clock next to Elena's bed read 3:24 a.m. Although she knew for sure she wouldn't be getting any sleep tonight, Elena still didn't want to deal with this right now. She needed time to think…to make a plan.

"Okay, you know what? You win. We'll just have to see this through till the end. But can you at least do me _one_ favor? Can't this wait till tomorrow?" she asked.

Despite all the excitement and adrenaline that had been boiling inside Damon's veins, even he had to admit that he was completely exhausted. Plus, given how unstable Klaus's plans tended to be, he was sure that he would have more than enough time to have his way with Elena.

But still…there was one thing he needed before he left.

"I think it's only fair. I'm sure this was a lot for you to hear," he gritted out. He was having a difficult time controlling himself. Just as Elena was about to visibly release a sigh of relief, he spoke again. "But could you help me with something before I go?"

The panic settled in all over again as she eyed him with caution. "What?"

He laughed a little and glanced down at his torso, which was still leaking thin trails of blood. "Could you give me just a little blood to help wrap up the healing process? I might scare some people, walking around town like this."

Elena bit her lower lip. She was still a little concerned that during this entire conversation Damon still hadn't completely healed yet. But at the same time, what if he was just messing with her head?

_No that wouldn't make any sense,_ she mentally reasoned. _First of all, if he wanted to bite me, he could've done it already. And secondly, why would he agree to leave if he was planning on doing anything else tonight? _

Before she could debate the manner any further, Elena reached for a pair of scissors and made a small incision on the palm of her hand. Damon watched with excitement as the blood began bubbling to the surface.

Fangs pierced through his gums as he bent down and reached for Elena's hand. Instead of sucking at the blood, like Elena had expected, Damon ran his tongue along the wound. "That won't be enough."

He gripped her wrist and tugged her down into his arms. Her neck was precisely below his mouth. Elena wanted to scream and push him away, but he had bitten her before any of those responses could manifest.

The corners of her eyes watered as the knife-like fangs slid into her flesh. Of course Elena had been bitten before this, but the betrayal made it hurt more than ever before.

Damon had no intentions of holding back. He had longed for a taste of her blood for so very long. He wanted to relish this moment. However, Elena's body was having a hard time keeping up with his hunger. Her body had tensed once he bit her, but now it was becoming limp…lifeless.

In that very moment, a part of him suggested that he finish the job. Not only would he have tasted all of her blood, but he would also be rid of this unbearable turmoil and sorrow she'd brought upon him.

If he hadn't been compelled not to kill Elena, Damon feared he would've given in to the temptation. Horrified by his own thoughts, he ripped his fangs from her neck and sped backwards.

Elena fell to the floor, staring at him with dull eyes. Damon took in the sight of the blood leaking from her neck and staining the floor.

Using the back of his hand to wipe the blood from his face, he crawled over to Elena and positioned her so she was leaning up against his chest. Even in her incredibly weak state, she still tried to protest and push away from him.

He effortlessly bit into his wrist and forced the blood into Elena's mouth. "Trust me," he breathed, "you're going to need all your strength for what I have planned next."

* * *

Ok, so this wasn't as extreme as I was expecting the chapter to be, but I just really wanted to show how Damon's struggling with this new "freedom" while still not doing anything too terrible yet.

In the next chapter: Stefan finds out about what Klaus did and gets PISSED. And of course...more Delena action on the way ;)

Thank you so much for the amazing reaction to the first chapter...I'm still amazed! Please leave a comment and let me know if you're still liking where this is going.


	3. Chapter 3

The Worst Intentions

By: Darkest Ember

Chapter 3

* * *

**WARNING: **This chapter contains language and somewhat graphic scenes, especially toward the end. I'm kind of trying to test the boundaries here. In other things I've written I've taken things to pretty dark, gory places. So, after reading, if you could share whether you want more or less gore, I'd appreciate it :)

* * *

Stefan's eyes shot open as he heard the front door open and slam shut, shaking the foundation of the house. He scoffed as he rolled out of bed, somewhat relieved that his brother had saved himself.

If he'd taken any longer Stefan would've had to rescue him. Deep down inside, he wasn't sure if he was ready to dust off the superhero cape yet.

He stood on the staircase, shrouded by the shadows, watching as his brother crept through the house. "I'm surprised you made it out alive," Stefan said.

"Guess all those years of human blood paid off," Damon shot back.

Both brothers stepped into the den, which was alit from the blazing fireplace. "What did he do to you? You look terrible." Stefan noticed the bloodstains immediately. There was something else though, something less obvious. Damon's demeanor seemed different.

"Look," he said abruptly. "I think we should let this Klaus shit go. Let Ric keep the last stake, I don't really care. I'm done with this."

This caused Stefan's brows to arch with cautious concern. "What do you mean, let it go? Have you forgotten what he's done to me? What's he's done to _Elena_?"

Damon's cold stare melted ever so slightly at the mention of Elena's name. Stefan shook off premature feelings of jealousy as Damon walked toward him, looking almost sympathetic.

"That's sounds like a personal problem, brother." After shooting him a taunting smirk, Damon left the room.

_What the hell did Klaus do to you_, Stefan wondered.

Alaric wasn't answering his phone. Neither were Bonnie and Caroline. Stefan growled, throwing his phone across the room. He didn't know what he was supposed to do. Just yesterday, all he could think about was how close he was to driving a white oak stake through Klaus's heart.

But now…

Now he had to worry about Elena, about Damon. What kind of game was Klaus playing? With the others not leaving him much of a choice, Stefan begrudgingly grabbed his car keys and headed over to the Mikaelson mansion.

* * *

The alarm clock buzzed loudly near Elena's ear. She groaned as she rolled over and lazily slapped the snooze button. Staring up at the ceiling, she recalled some of the images from that awful nightmare she had.

Damon being tortured…

Thoughts of him dying…

Menacing icy blue eyes…

Sharp fangs…

Blood in her mouth…

She cringed, trying to shake the memories from her mind. _What would cause me to even think of any of that? Damon would never…_

The longer she stayed in bed, the more the thoughts plagued her. With a sigh, she tried to get out of bed, but ended up falling over the side, tangled in the sheets. After detangling herself, she began to stand up but froze once she saw a dark stain on the carpet near the window.

"No," she whispered desperately. She crawled over to the stain and touched the crispy, hardened section of carpet. Was this blood?

Her heartbeat tripled within seconds as her eyes darted around the room, waiting for Damon to pop out of her closet and attack. Everything that happened last night was real. She raked her fingers through long locks of brown hair, contemplating screaming, but decided against it so that she didn't startle Jeremy.

It felt damn near impossible to breathe, but Elena knew that if she let herself spiral into this terror, then she wouldn't be able to get out. All she had to do was stay away from Damon and wait for the Salvatore's to find a way to kill Klaus. Then, the compulsion will wear off and everything can go back to normal – or close enough.

Tossing some extra articles of clothing into a duffle bag, Elena slipped out of her house and sped over to Alaric's loft. She would be safe there, and he could help her formulate a plan. She really couldn't bear the thought of repeating last night.

* * *

Rebekah rarely dwelled on past occurrences, but today seemed to be an exception. So far she'd spent the better half of the day lazing around the house, reflecting on last night. Of course Damon deserved _her_ punishment, but Klaus's compulsion bothered her.

Although she wouldn't ever admit it aloud, Rebekah was in love with the idea of romance, true love, soul mates – whatever you want to call it. She wasn't sure exactly how Elena felt toward Damon, but she knew without a doubt how he felt for her. She couldn't understand what he saw in her, a silly human girl.

Regardless, it was wrong of Klaus to manipulate Damon's feelings.

Tortured by these pesky thoughts, she was about to go talk to her brother about the manner, but stopped short, smirking as Stefan walked into the foyer.

"Well, isn't this a lovely surprise? Finally ready to pick up where we left off?" she cooed, approaching him with a mixture of lust and longing in her eyes.

Stefan wasn't impressed. He shrugged her hands off of him and maintained his statue-like composure. "I'm actually here to see Klaus."

She pouted. "Sorry, but Nik isn't here. Not to worry, I can keep you plenty busy."

She hated the way she sounded so desperate, so in need of love. All she really had left were her brothers, and that wasn't saying much.

Fearing that he was even considering the possibility, Stefan backed away from her, but she caught on quickly. She smirked playfully as she sped toward him, pinning him up against the front door. "Don't be so frightened, Stefan. It doesn't suit you."

Without any further postponement, she leaned forward and met his lips with her own. She could still picture those nights at the club in Chicago – the way Stefan would look at her when she danced, the way they would kiss with traces of blood on their tongues.

Just as the memories came rushing back, they quickly dissipated as Stefan forcibly pulled away, glaring at her. "You lied."

Confused, she turned around to find Klaus standing on the staircase, his eyes alit with pure amusement. "Oh, please, don't stop on my behalf. It'd be just like old times."

"I didn't come here to relive the past," Stefan said sternly. "I thought this little feud was between you and me. Why bother bringing Damon into it?"

Klaus laughed flatly. "You made this about much more than us when you dragged my family into the picture. Now I'm returning the favor."

"Toying with his emotions like this is low, even for you."

"Listen to you! It must be _killing_ you, wondering how far he'll go with your girl. Maybe if you handed over all your white oak stakes, I'll consider repealing the compulsion."

"What are you even gaining from this? Are you just bored now?"

Klaus descended the rest of the staircase and came to eyelevel with Stefan. "As fate would have it, my hybrid has left town. I think Damon will make a fine replacement."

Stefan hated the great amount of enjoyment Klaus was getting out of this situation. Not to mention he had no idea what to do. He couldn't give this bastard the stakes. Or maybe he could. Klaus didn't know how many stakes they made. He could keep one stashed away…

"You might just have yourself a deal, Klaus. You're right. I don't care for the possibility of Damon doing anything with Elena, but the satisfaction of being done with you once and for all will be worth it. When I give you the stakes, you stop the compulsion and leave town."

Admittedly, Klaus wasn't expecting to hear that. Still he was willing to entertain the idea. He wouldn't mind leaving Mystic Falls, so long as Elena accompanied him. That detail will be his little secret for now.

"Well then what are you doing standing around here? Better be on your way and get those stakes before Damon goes after Elena again."

Stefan gritted his teeth, shooting Klaus one last smoldering glare before speeding out the front door, en route to Elena's house.

* * *

Pulsating bass beats and booming voices echoed down from Alaric's loft. His brow furrowed as he climbed up the stairs, silently praying that Katherine or Klaus or some other vampire hadn't invaded his living space again.

Balancing a bag of groceries in one arm and toying with his keys in another, Alaric managed to open the door and stumble inside. His eyes darted around the room, trying to find the intruder before he or she found him.

A huge breath of relief flew from his lungs as he saw Elena, coated in sweat, fiercely swinging at the punching bag. He walked over to the stereo and turned down the volume, alerting Elena to his presence.

She took off the boxing gloves and smiled apologetically. "Sorry, I didn't mean to just break in…"

"I'm kind of scared to ask what's got you all pumped up," he replied.

"That's sort of why I'm here. Something's happened with Damon – Klaus compelled him to, uh…well, to have his way with me, I guess. Last night he bit me, and I just, I can't be alone right now."

Alaric's eyes widened as he heard the news. Being one of Damon's only so-called friends, he obviously knew how Damon felt about Elena. "We should try to get him locked up in the boarding house cellar. Maybe we can convince Klaus to remove the compulsion."

"You think that'll work?" she asked, hope evidently surfacing in her voice. Even though she was terrified for her own sake, she was just as worried about Damon. She'd watched him come so far since first meeting him and refused to let that all go to waste because of Klaus's demented games.

"It's better than just letting him roam the streets. I mean, he's basically been invited into everyone's homes."

Alaric set the groceries down on the counter and pulled his phone out of his back pocket. His brow furrowed as he looked at the screen.

"What is it?" Elena asked.

"Stefan called…a lot."

Before she could respond with any sort of concern, her phone beeped, indicating a new text message. She grabbed her phone and saw that Stefan – speak of the devil – had texted her, asking her to come over.

"Stefan needs to know about what's going on. Why don't you get a few supplies together while I go meet up with him to explain the situation?"

"Are you sure that's such a good idea? He's probably at the boarding house…with Damon."

"I'll be fine as long as Stefan's there," she said with firm assertion.

"At this point, we can't really trust Damon _or_ Stefan."

"You don't have to worry, Ric. I'll call you as soon as I get there, and then you can meet up with us later. Trust me."

Alaric had a bad feeling about all this, but knew that Elena had come a long way over the past couple months. Should anything happen, she'd be able to protect herself.

* * *

The amber-colored liquid sloshed around in Damon's glass as he paced across the room. "This really shouldn't be so hard," he mumbled. Several thoughts and potential plots were running through his mind, but none of them felt particularly satisfying.

As far as he knew, he didn't have any sort of time restraint, so why did he feel so rushed? He took a large gulp and glanced around the room upon hearing what sounded like a ringing phone. He knew that his phone was securely in his pocket, which must mean the incessant ringing was meant for Stefan.

Curious as to why his brother hadn't answered his phone, Damon stepped into Stefan's room and found the phone lying on the floor, an unappealing crack stretching across the screen. Damon unlocked the home screen and browsed Stefan's call log, not terribly surprised to find several attempts to reach Alaric, Bonnie, and Caroline.

_Stefan must be pretty desperate for help_, Damon thought. Then, deciding to lure Elena under a false pretense, he opened a new text message, asking her to come to the boarding house.

She replied almost instantly. He took another swig as he read her response, perceiving an unconfirmed tone of excitement. What else should he expect? Stefan could probably kill an entire student population and Elena would _still_ love him. It made him sick. He had to pretend to be some sort of saint while Stefan got a free pass into ripperdom? Of course she's been trying to steer him back to the path of righteousness, but that's not something that happens overnight.

His anger was starting to overwhelm him. All the pent up jealousy, bitterness, and loathing was taking its toll, almost as if Klaus's compulsion let them be freely rampant in Damon's mind.

Taking a deep breath, he banished those feelings for the moment, knowing that he only had half an hour till the fun began. Obviously Stefan went somewhere, and obviously that somewhere isn't near Elena. All of this meant that Stefan would inevitably return home, which could interfere with Damon's time with Elena.

A quick survey of the wooded land near the boarding house brought him to a hunter, lurking in the woods in search of deer. _How perfect_, Damon thought before compelling the man to follow him back to the house and stay hidden until Stefan showed up. Damon also replaced the bullets in the shotgun with wooden bullets, naturally.

* * *

Elena took a quick shower and changed clothes while Alaric was busy collecting a supply of vervain-based weapons. As she was walking out the door, she couldn't help but notice the concern poorly hidden behind Alaric's smile.

Even if something went wrong before they could execute their plan, she could handle it, surely. A couple drops of vampire blood would heal any pain that could be inflicted. Even at Damon's worst, he could never truly bring himself to hurt her in the past. As weird as it may sound, she had a sway over him.

Her confidence began to waver a bit, though, once she arrived at the boarding house. There was no breeze in the air; the leaves in the trees were eerily stationary. Proceeding with caution, Elena opened the front door and stepped into a pitch-black foyer. Not a single light was on…no fire in the fireplace. Nothing.

"S-Stefan?" she called out. The darkness felt so thick, almost like it was suffocating her.

"Even better."

All at once a match was lit and thrown onto the wooden logs in the fireplace. She spun around and came face to face with Damon. A small gasp slipped past her lips as she involuntarily took a step away from him.

"Damon, I…I'm here to see Stefan, okay?"

"Oh, that's right. You mean that text he sent you." Before Elena could ask how he would've known, Damon pulled Stefan's phone out of his pocket. Her eyes widened as fear began settling into her bones.

"Where's Stefan? Why do you have his phone?"

Damon shrugged, haphazardly tossing the phone aside. "Beats me. He's the one who left without any explanation. I'm just as confused as you. But, since you're here, why don't you stay a while?"

"I think we both know that…in light of recent events, that's not a good idea," Elena mumbled, running for the door. Damon easily beat her there, waiting for her with his arms crossed over his chest and an arrogant smirk firmly in place.

"Oh, don't be that way, Elena. Danger excites you – you just don't want to admit it. I can see it in your eyes. You might even be a little turned on by it."

Elena scoffed, disgusted. "Go to hell. You're clearly not the Damon I know."

"Oh, you mean the whipped, desperate, pathetic Damon? You think that's the real me? It's all been an act, Elena…an act that was a huge fucking waste of time. You and I have just been running around in circles, and I'm sick of it."

His words honestly surprised her, and she wasn't quite sure what to do next. In some respect, she couldn't blame him. She'd been stringing him along, not even knowing what she herself was feeling…

"But doing whatever you have planned isn't going to change any of that. It's not going to make you feel better…it's not what you want," she pleaded.

"I don't want your love anymore. I want the freedom to act on my desires, to be every aspect of myself without worrying about what you'll think."

Not seeing much of another option, she acted out of instinct. The small wooden stake shot smoothly out from under her sleeve and into her hand. Catching Damon off guard, she jabbed the stake into his stomach, causing him to fall to his knees. Seizing the opportunity, she stepped around him and ran out the door.

Her hands were shaking so badly that she was having a hard time finding the car key in the jumble of other keys. She yelped as a fist flew just past her head and into the window.

Damon placed an arm on each side of Elena's head, pinning her up against the vehicle. He toyed with a shard of glass in his hand before putting it up against her cheek. "Now I'm going to need some blood heal that horrible wound you inflicted." He dragged the shard slowly down her face, creating a narrow but deep slice.

A couple of loose tears fell from the corners of her eyes as Damon ran his tongue along the cut, lapping at the blood. Once he was satisfied, he backed away from her, grinning with bloodstained teeth. "It's a little chilly out here, don't you think? Let's go back inside."

"NO," she shouted through tears, shoving at his chest.

"No?" he asked, half amused, half annoyed. "Don't make me force you back inside."

"I'm not going to just sit here and let you do this to me," she cried.

"Your choice, but I assure you, it won't be long before you start begging me to continue." With a blank expression, he reached forward unexpectedly and tangled a hand in her hair, pulling harshly as he tugged her away from the car and back into the house.

Elena tried to make a run for it as soon as they stepped into the parlor. Damon considered letting her run, but he was too impatient. He sped after her and grabbed onto her arm, pulling her up against his chest. "Now that we're inside this warm, cozy room, I think it's time to lose some of these unnecessary clothes."

She shook her head, silently begging him to stop. "I really don't see what you're so worried about. It's nothing I haven't seen before, more or less." She realized he was referring to Katherine, which caused a shiver to crawl down her spine.

Without warning, he ripped the shirt down the middle of her back, ruthlessly tearing it off her body and tossing it aside. He spun her around so fast that she felt a slight dizzy spell occur just as he unbuttoned, unzipped, and removed her jeans, leaving her standing before him in just a bra and underwear, neither of which were particularly plain or modest.

His eyes hungrily took in the sight. He noticed that the cut on her face was still bleeding, leaking down the side of her face slowly like a melting icicle. He walked over to her, cupping her face in his hands. He wiped some of the blood away with his fingers. She watched with slight revulsion as he sucked the blood clean off.

"God, you taste so good," he groaned, sucking on his pointer finger. He opened his eyes and saw her starting at him unpleasantly. He leaned in a little closer and stole another taste of the blood, which was now smeared across the entire right side of her face. "Why don't you have a taste?" he whispered.

Elena realized what he meant just a couple seconds too late. He swooped in, locking his lips with hers. She kept her jaw firm and lips sealed. Damon grabbed her face and squeezed harshly, pressuring her jaw open. He smirked as his tongue slid inside, spreading a slimy mixture of diluted blood and saliva.

Once he felt that she got a good portion, he pulled back, watching her choke a little. "You're disgusting," she spat.

"You think _that_ was disgusting. I'll show you disgusting," he said darkly.

Elena felt trapped under his crystalline stare. She remembered how bright and lively his eyes were when they were goofing around in the kitchen, making chili for the potluck. Now, they were chilling…lifeless. She snapped out of her distracted state once she felt a burning pain in her wrist. Glancing down, she saw his hand wrapped tightly around her wrist, fingers digging into the flesh.

She was so terrified, wondering what he was planning. She couldn't form any words…no questions, no complaints, no pleas. She just watched as his fangs slid out from under the gums, black veins slithering around his eyes. He was emitting cruelty.

In a flash, he bit deeply into her arm, ripping into a couple of veins. Blood eagerly sprayed into his mouth as he scraped his fangs down her arm, peeling back the skin and exposing the vein. Elena's paled as she glanced down at the horrific sight, almost too petrified to even feel the pain.

He stopped once he got close to the cluster of veins in the wrist. Two skinny threads of skin, still slightly attached to her arm dangled off the sides. Blood completely covered Damon's mouth – lips, gums, teeth. "Since you didn't like the taste, I figured you might enjoy the sight," he sneered.

"Why are you doing this?" she whispered. Sobs racked her body, trembling uncontrollably. "I'm sorry for hurting you the way I have, but this can't possibly be what you want."

Damon rolled his eyes, his humanity almost entirely turned off. "Don't you get it? It's _exactly_ what I want. I won't stop until I'm satisfied. It's not about you anymore. It's my turn." Then, in another unpredictable, blurred moment, he wrapped his fingers around her throat and sped her into a wall, pressing his body firmly up against hers.

"You really don't have anything to worry about," he said, wiping a few stray tears away. "You know I can't kill you, which means dying isn't a concern. And none of your injuries will be permanent."

That wasn't even what made this situation so terrible. The fact that Damon, someone Elena cared about in one way or another, was hurting her, desiring her pain, hurt much more than any physical infliction, somehow. But with his hands around her throat, she couldn't quite get the words out.

Damon's sensitive hearing picked up on the sound of a vibrating phone. What was with all these phone calls today? Using his speed, he retrieved the phone and returned to Elena. "It's Ric," he said intrigued, then glanced up at Elena with a warning look. "Answer it," he whispered into her ear, "but don't give anything away." He handed her the phone.

"H-hey, Alaric," she said.

"Elena, is everything alright? I expected to hear from you by now."

"Sorry, I got kind of wrapped up in explaining things…to Stefan."

"Well, is Damon there?"

Elena looked up at Damon, who was listening to the conversation. His eyes narrowed as he shook his head. "N-no, he's not. Listen, I have to go."

"Okay, what are we going to do about him, though?"

"I'm not sure. I'm probably going to have Stefan take me home shortly. This is too much for one day." Deciding that to be sufficient enough, Damon grabbed the phone and ended the call.

"Well done, Elena. I wasn't sure that you were going to be able to pull that off."

She felt his warm breath flow across her skin. His mouth was far too close for comfort. Her eyes squeezed shut as she tried to distract her mind. He was confused as to what she was doing, so he decided to regain her attention. He grabbed one of the dangling trails of skin and pulled it, effectively detaching it from her arm and reigniting the pain.

Her eyes shot open as she looked at him with what he perceived to be a shocked, yet sorrowful expression. Maybe that was enough pain for now. He was ready to move onto something more sexual, anyway.

But then a gunshot resounded in the silence.

* * *

First of all, I would just like to express my gratitude. The response this story has received so far has been astounding, and I really hope that I continue to please you. Part of the reason why I put this update off for so long, aside from all the other stories I need to update, was because I felt pressured...I want to make sure that each update is as good as the last.

Now, for the next chapter, what I have in mind will involve Stefan, Damon, and Elena's interactions together. There will be sex, but not how you might think. Damon's going to use this opportunity to make Stefan and Elena suffer, in their own ways. Let's just say he's going to get them back for all the times we can assume he's had to listen to Stefan and Elena have sex...if you know what I mean ;)

Thanks for your patience and please take a quick minute to leave a comment!


	4. Chapter 4

The Worst Intentions

By: Darkest Ember

Chapter 4

* * *

**Warning: **This chapter contains sexual situations.

* * *

After a useless, roundabout conversation with Klaus, Stefan wasn't sure where to go. He _should_ go over to Elena's and see how she was doing, but decided against it. Although he didn't want to admit it, he knew that the most effective solution would be to tackle the main problem at hand. Perhaps he could talk some sense into his brother – one way or another.

Leaves crunched under his tires as he pulled into the driveway. His brow furrowed as he noticed another vehicle parked in front of him. He proceeded with caution, trained eyes scanning the dark landscape.

Hardly two steps away from his car, Stefan fell to his knees, shocked to find a wooden bullet nestled into his shoulder. The barrage of bullets continued. Though Stefan was much stronger with a diet of human blood, he still felt the pain, wheezing in an attempt to remove the bullets.

"W-who are you?" he growled, not accustomed to feeling his own blood gushing onto his fingertips. He could barely make out the figure of a man holding a shotgun.

A breeze swept past him, shortly followed by someone's arms wrapping around his neck. "Don't you worry, brother," Damon whispered, his voice dripping with demented delight. "This is only the beginning."

Damon snapped Stefan's neck, feeling an odd sense of justice upon remember Stefan doing the same to him at that ridiculous Mikaelson family ball. The compelled human came over and obediently dragged Stefan's body inside.

* * *

Alaric stared at his phone's black screen with escalating dread. It could just be his inherent mistrust of vampires, but he could've sworn he heard the faintest quiver in Elena's voice.

Sighing, he grabbed a couple vervain darts and zipped up his duffle bag. It almost pained him to have to go through with this. Unsettling as it may be, Alaric considered Damon a friend, which made having to attack him challenging. But, as Elena's unofficial guardian, he didn't have much of a choice.

As fate would have it, his journey ended before he could step out the door.

Klaus smirked at him as he stepped forward, pushing his way into the familiar settings of Alaric's loft. "Going somewhere, mate?"

Despite his rattled breath, Alaric held his ground. "Yes, actually – to put an end to your sick game."

"Ah, I assume you must be referring to Damon," Klaus nodded, making himself comfortable on one of the barstools. "I don't see why everyone's so upset over the matter. I've given Damon free reign to do as he pleases without pesky human emotions or morals getting in the way."

"You're taking away everything that makes him…good."

"Nonsense! I've given him a gift. Think of me as a sort of Santa _Klaus_." Childish laughter rumbled in his chest at the sound of his own cheesy joke.

Alaric's facial expression hardened as he stared down the hybrid before him. "Cut the crap. What are you doing here?"

As the conversational tone shifted to something more serious, Klaus too dropped his carefree attitude and got down to business. "I have eyes and ears all over this pathetic town. A lot of non-vampire related murders have been taking place, which I find somewhat amusing. The last thing a town crawling with supernatural horrors needs is a serial killer," he chuckled.

"That still doesn't explain why you're here." The saliva in Alaric's mouth was starting to vanish as his discomfort magnified.

"Oh, but it does. You see, you aren't the first person I've seen with that tacky ring," he said, nodding to Alaric's hand. "I've interacted with quite a few witches over the years, and I've learned a thing or two."

"Are you suggesting that I'm the serial killer?" Alaric asked, laughing bitterly.

"I suspect that this early in the game you wouldn't be in control of your own actions, or have any memories of the killings…"

Alaric, who had originally been keeping his distance from the dangerous Original, stormed toward him. "I have more important things to do than let you accuse me of those horrible murders."

"If you think it's bad now, just wait till you're conscious during the killing," Klaus grinned wickedly, watching the anger flare in Alaric's eyes.

"And if you don't leave, I'll–."

"You'll what?" Klaus interrupted. "Unless you have the white oak stakes in your possession, I'm afraid there's nothing you can do to truly harm me."

Alaric lost control. The thought of this vampire…werewolf…hybrid _abomination_ mocking and accusing him was more than he could take. He lunged forward, a small wooden stake flying out from under his sleeve. The weapon made contact, embedded in Klaus's torso.

Klaus barely grunted from the pain, ripping the wooden nuisance from his flesh. He reached out and wrapped his fingers around Alaric's neck, throwing him up against the wall. Frames, one of which held a picture of Alaric and Isobel, fell to the ground. Glass shards cracked under their heavy footsteps as they struggled against each other.

Alaric tried another one of his moves, but Klaus was hyper alert. He gripped the vervain grenade and crushed it in his bare hands. The flesh sizzled for a moment or two before the wounds healed.

"I think it would be best if you were no longer in the picture," Klaus growled, using his chokehold to lift Alaric up off the ground. He tossed Alaric's body toward the kitchen, honestly surprised to watch his body fly through the wooden cabinet. He knew that he didn't use _that _much force.

He took a couple steps forward and froze, a most satisfied smirk twisting his lips upward. In the midst of the splintered cabinet remains and Alaric's half-alive body were several freshly whittled stakes.

White oak stakes, specifically.

* * *

Too startled by the sound of a gun being fired outside, Elena remained in the parlor, trying to focus on anything other than the trails of blood running down her arm. Whatever was going on outside was important enough to tear Damon away from her, thus leaving her alone and able to plan her next move.

She spotted her phone sitting on a table across the room. _Should I call Alaric back and tell him what's happening?_ She wondered. _Maybe if we could catch Damon off guard…_

The opportunity was lost before she could make her move. The front door opened and closed with a slam. "Take him to the basement," she heard Damon say.

Take whom?

Damon entered the room slowly, his eyes never leaving Elena. "You know, I was wondering what you were going to do in my brief absence." He sped over to her, pulling her up against his chest. "I'm glad you made the right choice," he breathed.

He bit into his wrist and shoved it up against her mouth. As much as Elena wanted to avoid having vampire blood in her system, she knew she could hardly stand the pain or the bleeding any longer. She sucked on the tender flesh, allowing a miniscule, though effective amount of blood to slide down her throat before pulling back.

"Everything's been taken care of, just as you asked," the shooter said.

Damon released Elena and walked over to his subservient accomplice. "Good work," Damon said, placing a hand on each of his shoulders. The man stood there in a daze, no sign of fear apparent on his face as Damon barred his fangs.

Roughly tilting his head to the side, Damon leaned in and ripped into the man's throat, chewing until his fangs got caught in the thick, unappetizing lining of his trachea.

Elena cringed as she watched the man slump to the ground, his neck completely torn to shreds. How could Damon turn into such a monster like this? Even when she knew him at his worst, he never would've attacked humans in such a sadistic manner.

Feeling her fear melt away, she walked over to him and slapped his bloody face as hard as she could, ignoring the slimy substance that stuck to her fingers afterward. His head whipped to the side, a rosy handprint branded on his cheek.

She expected him to lash out, attack her, but he did quite the opposite. He lifted his head up slowly, staring at her with chilling eyes and a condescending smirk. "On that note, I think we should visit our guest downstairs."

Damon gripped her wrist with bruising force, tugging her toward the basement stairs. She struggled to keep up with his eager steps as they passed through the cellar. Horrible memories of Stefan being locked up after the Miss Mystic Falls incident surfaced in the back of her mind.

But once they rounded a corner and she saw who this 'guest' was, she desperately longed for those days. Similar to how he had been strung up at Pearl's house, Stefan was hanging from the ceiling, vervain soaked ropes wrapped around his wrists and arms, searing the flesh. His shirt was torn in some places, and Elena noticed bloody holes in the exposed flesh.

She wrenched out of Damon's grip and ran to Stefan, if only to hear the reassuring sound of his heartbeat.

Damon tried to ignore her obvious distress, stepping in front of her and backhanding Stefan. Elena gasped, watching as Stefan suddenly came back to life, sucking in breaths and trying to register what was happening.

His eyes darted between Damon and Elena before he cringed, feeling the effects of the vervain settling into his flesh. "Welcome back, Stef," Damon sneered. "Just in time for the show."

"What are you…what are you talking about?" he breathed.

Damon backed up and stood behind Elena. He brushed her long locks aside and started to leave a trail of kisses along her neck. He could feel her tremble against him, and it was almost enough to drive him mad. But he remained focused, keeping his eyes locked with Stefan's.

Realizing what was going on, Stefan shook his head and laughed. "Really, Damon? I didn't know you were so immature."

A small gasp slipped past Elena's lips as Damon dragged the tip of his fang along her neck. "Careful what you say, brother."

Stefan struggled against his restraints, breathing heavily. Rage and disgust was radiating off his body, though he remained helpless to do anything about it.

"D-Damon, I don't understand the point of all this," Elena whispered. "Why are you doing this to Stefan? Weren't you compelled to focus on_ me_?"

Dark, taunting laughter was her initial response. Once Damon composed himself, he decided to explain the logic behind this scenario. He circled around Elena, occasionally throwing a mocking glance toward Stefan.

"Isn't it obvious? Do you know what it feels like to watch someone else, your brother no less, with the woman you so hopelessly and helplessly love? Every soft exchange in the middle of the night, every content sigh, every 'I love you,' every time you _fucked_, I heard it. And it's not like I _wanted_ to. Amplified hearing makes things a little difficult to block out."

Elena remained silent, feeling her tensed shoulders droop and a strange sensation of guilt sinking in. Stefan, on the other hand, felt nothing of the sort. "So you're doing this because you're mad that I loved my girlfriend? You know, if it was so torturous for you, you could've just left the house, find some sorority girl to kill some time."

_Loved_. Past tense. That was all Elena heard in Stefan's brief rant. She stared at him with unshed tears in her eyes. He didn't return her stare. He was too focused on Damon.

"You think it would've been that simple? You couldn't begin to understand what it felt like," Damon spat. "I'm going to introduce you to this feeling, this emotional agony that I felt."

Stefan's brow furrowed as his mind raced to figure out what Damon meant by that. How would he be able to create an equivalent situation? _Surely he wouldn't…_

Retreating from her reverie, Elena realized that she was back to being the focus of Damon's plot. His crystalline eyes clouded over with dark lust. Elena's feet moved on their own accord beneath her. Her backward steps did little to prevent the situation, as Damon took two long strides toward her and stood in front of her, leaving hardly any space between.

Her hands were shaking as she placed them on his chest, looking up at him with pleading eyes. "Please don't do this," she whispered. "You're so strong, Damon. You can fight this control Klaus has over you."

He reached up and took her hands in his, a small smile running along his lips. "No."

That small word caused time to stand still as Elena barely registered him flinging her onto a nearby table. The dull throbbing near the base of her skull eventually returned her focus.

As soon as his fingers trailed up her torso, she began struggling.

He laughed a little. "If you keep that up, I can't guarantee that your clothes will survive this little ordeal."

She shot him an incredulous look. _As if the condition of my clothes means anything right now_. Seeing that she wasn't going to give in, Damon hopped onto the table and straddled her. The feeling of his impossibly stiff dick rubbing up against her caused Elena's skin to burn with fear and embarrassment.

Stefan watched as Damon tore Elena's shirt off and ran his fingers along her smooth, exposed flesh. He teeth sunk into his lower lip as he tried to ignore the burning sensation coming from the ropes. _If I could get out of these damn ropes, I could catch him off surprise and give Elena enough time to escape…_

But his heroic plan halted once his enhanced hearing took notice of zippers being unzipped. His eyes darted upward just in time to see Damon tug Elena's jeans off, leaving her laying on the table in nothing but a bra and underwear.

Elena squeezed her eyes shut as she felt Damon trailing kisses down the concave of her torso. With hardly any effort on his part, Damon used one hand to restrain both of hers, while the other was free to roam her lower half. His fingers skillfully slid underneath her underwear and ran along the puckered folds of her vagina.

His brows arched upward as he was pleased and somewhat surprised to feel how moist she was. "I think that deep down inside, you've wanted this all along," he said huskily, removing his fingers in a sudden movement. Elena's eyes scrunched even tighter as she silently chastised her body for being so disgusting, so eager in responding to his touch.

"It's kind of inevitable. Gentle lovers, like Stefan, can only please you for so long before you get bored."

Damon stole a glance at Stefan as he began to discard his own clothes. He ignored the fiery glare Stefan gave in return.

"You think this is making you look better than me?" Stefan scoffed.

"I don't need to _look_ better than you, brother. I'll let the sex," he paused to give Elena a seductive smirk, "speak for itself."

Maintaining eye contact with Stefan, Damon let his hands guide his dick out of the front slit in his boxers. He felt so stiff, so fervent to finally meet his own desires. He held onto Elena's hips and slid himself inside, finally turning away from his brother to watch Elena's eyes shoot open as she gasped.

After the initial pain from the abrupt entrance, Elena's mind began a war against her body. Spasms of tingling pleasure flowed through her lower region, though her mind tried to remain clear of this titillation. Determined to keep some shred of dignity as Damon pounded in and out of her, Elena kept her lips firmly sealed, refusing to let even the softest moan come out.

Damon kept his grip on her hips, using this leverage to keep her unwilling body in rhythm with his own. In the midst of it all, he noticed two things – Stefan, no matter how hard he tried, couldn't seem to look away from the scene and Elena had completely stopped struggling, the tension within her bones completely gone.

But seeing it wasn't satisfactory enough. Stefan needed to _hear_ it, to hear his older brother making his girl scream in ecstasy and moan from all the pleasure. He increased his pace as he leaned over her, bending his head to reach her neck. Elena visibly shivered once she felt his lips on her neck, sucking and nibbling in all the right places.

He could hear the rumblings of a moan caught in her throat – she just needed a little push. Damon grinned against her skin just before simultaneously plunging deep into her vagina and biting her neck, sensually sucking out some blood.

That was it. She could feel herself lose control. Subconsciously, her head rolled backward and her back arched, hips bucking up against his. And then she moaned – a breathy pleasure-infused release.

_Mission accomplished. _

Damon reached his climax and pulled out of her, panting from the effort. He didn't waste much time before leering at Stefan. He could see all the emotions play across his tortured face – pain, anger, jealousy, betrayal, regret.

At first, Damon felt elated. _Finally_ he got to have Elena as his own, all while making his brother – always the favorite Salvatore – witness it for himself. What took him so long? He was an idiot for waiting so long. He could've done this from the very beginning, right when he arrived in Mystic Falls!

Elena writhed beneath him, slowly regaining her breath. Spotting her clothes nearby, she reached for the items and began to dress herself quickly, before Damon could stop her. "Are you happy now?" she asked softly. "There can't be much else that you want from me."

Damon snickered, mimicking Elena in redressing. "There are plenty of other things I could do you, Elena." Slowly, his grin faded, retreating into a confused, almost grim line. If this was what he wanted, why did something feel so…wrong? So fake.

Finding the courage within herself, she looked up at him, locking eyes without hesitation. "It didn't have to be this way, you know. If you would've just given me some time to sort my feelings out…"

"It wouldn't have made a difference!" Damon shouted, standing up. "We both know that even if you came to terms with your feelings for me, you'd never act on it. You're too perfect to do something like that. What would people think about you? You'd become Katherine. Imagine _that_."

Elena's eyes watered. She was struggling to stay strong. "You don't know that," she whispered. "You don't know what I was going through."

"I can guarantee it was nothing compared to what _you_ put me through."

* * *

After the silence settled in and the three of them retreated to the private contemplation of their minds, Elena took advantage of the opportunity and dashed toward the door. Upon reaching the top of the staircase without being pursued, she kept going, running to her car and speeding down the winding driveway.

Her body felt completely overwhelmed…confused…violated…pleasured. As if a forbidden truth, she could never bring herself to admit to anything she felt toward Damon, mentally or verbally. She gripped the steering wheel, begrudgingly acknowledging that she felt a physical attraction to him from the moment they met.

But that was it. She loved Stefan, but wanted to help Damon. He was like a little project that she could work on, make him into a better person. As far as she knew, she was succeeding. He didn't kill for the fun of it; hell, he barely even drank from the vein anymore.

Everything changed once Stefan left town with Klaus. Of course she wanted to find Stefan and bring him back home, but a part of her wished that he would stay hidden, enjoying all the time she spent with Damon, searching and planning – just the two of them together.

Damon filled a void that Stefan left behind. She cringed, realizing that she'd taken Damon for granted, using him to her benefit but never considering his feelings. _Damon was wrong_, she thought. _I'm not Katherine. I'm _worse_ than her. And now it's my fault that this happened to him. _

She parked her car in front of the house and sat there for a couple minutes, hardly having the will to even move her legs. Once she did her best to wipe the tear tracks away, she forced herself out of the car. She'd been fiddling with her keys and didn't notice someone sitting on the porch.

"Rough night, love?"

Elena nearly screamed from the sudden startle. Her body was rapidly reaching its limits, her sanity fraying at the seams. With caution, she turned to face Klaus, sitting comfortably with a knowing smirk on his face.

"What are you doing here?"

"Funny you should ask. You see, from what I understand, not many people are pleased with my decision to compel Damon. Surely, you're not a fan."

Anger gave way to a rebirth of confidence. "You're destroying him. You can't just mess with someone's emotions like this. It hurts more than just him," she spat. "It hurts Stefan and…me."

"I can help him."

Her exhausted body showed immediate signs of desperation. "How?"

* * *

Whew. I really wanted to get this posted a couple weeks ago, but with finals and everything going on with the end of the semester, I needed to wait. I figured it would be better to write it while I'm focused instead of when I'm stressed and distracted. So we get a little sex...a little internal monologue. And then Klaus shows up. Do you think he's really going to "help" Damon or is he up to no good?

Tonight's the Christmas episode of TVD and I couldn't be more excited! We finally get a Christmas episode AND Damon and Elena are (more or less) finally together ;)

I really appreciate the support this story has received so far and hope that you all continue to leave reviews for me :)

The next stories that I'm going to be focusing on will be **Forever Got Too Long **and **In Love With A Killer**, which I intend to get posted before Christmas. Who knows, maybe I'll be able to squeeze in another chapter for this one while I'm at it!


	5. Chapter 5

The Worst Intentions

By: Darkest Ember

Chapter 5

* * *

Klaus almost pitied the girl standing before him. Had emotional damage not been a part of his grand scheme, he might have considered actually helping her. But he kept those devious intentions to himself as he instead insisted on ushering her into the house and out of the bitter weather.

Feeling all of the fight slowly start to vanish, Elena let him lead her to the door, all the way up to the invisible threshold that prevented him from stepping any further. He laughed lightly. "I don't suppose an invitation into the lovely Gilbert home is in my future, is it?"

She shook her head. "I wouldn't count on it." Ready to return to the matter at hand, she crossed her arms over her chest and stared him down. "So, tell me how you're going to help Damon."

"Mustn't jump to conclusions, Elena. I never said I would offer my services for free." He watched with cruel amusement as mistrust instantly returned.

Her voice was low, almost accusing. "What more could you want?"

Holding his hands up in mock defense, Klaus took one or two more steps closer, stepping right up against the barrier. "All I ask is a simple donation of your delectable doppelganger blood. Then I shall help Damon…find his way again."

Elena felt every ounce of her body screaming to slam the door in his face. She'd been through _so_ much in the past year. Surely, helping Damon fight this demented compulsion couldn't be much harder.

And yet, after only two days, she was so very exhausted – physically from that _encounter_ tonight, mentally from trying to think of a solution, and emotionally to see someone she loved (in one way or another) act like such a…monster. Regrettably, she knew that Klaus's assistance would end up being the most effective tactic.

All he had to do was remove the compulsion. Simple as that.

"Fine," she gritted out. "I don't exactly have blood bags and needles laying around the house, though."

Klaus grinned, dimples and all, and clapped his hands together. "Don't you worry about the details, love. Just come over to the mansion tomorrow, and we'll get all this taken care of."

Elena couldn't bear the sight of his easy-going grins and belittling of this situation, so she said her goodbyes and all but slammed the door in his face. As she took in the sight of the darkened house, she found herself feeling relieved that it was empty.

The tears started falling down her cheeks as she slowly slid down the wall and landed on the floor a crumpled mess.

Losing Stefan to Klaus…watching the darkness devour him just before he lunged toward Elena and bit savagely into her neck…

Elena had thought that that was the worst possible thing that could happen to her.

Now it was happening all over again with Damon. But this time, Klaus raised the bar. Damon crossed far more lines than Stefan had, no doubt. Yet Elena found herself not feeling too surprised, which didn't quite sit right with her.

_Damon had been improving_, she thought, reflecting on the past summer, how he stayed by her side, searching for Stefan. _Klaus's compulsion must've done something to him. The Damon I know…he would never do these things. _

Regardless of how many times she told herself that, it wouldn't change what has happened. Once the sobs reduced to sniffles, she forced herself up off the floor and took robotic steps up the staircase and collapsed on her bed, ready for the temporary reprieve that only sleep could provide for her.

* * *

Stefan barely noticed when Elena fled from the room, though he surely didn't blame her. He focused his attention on trying to break free from the damned ropes around his wrists so that he could wrap his hands around his brother's throat and snap his neck.

When his attempts failed, he glared at Damon, who was casually sipping from a blood bag on the same table that he had violated Elena on. "Are you just going to leave me hanging here?" he grunted. "The show's over."

Damon wrapped his lips tightly around the straw-like tube on the bag and sucked out the last few drops. He tossed the shriveled plastic bag to the floor and looked at Stefan with calculating eyes. "Now, why would I let you go?" he asked, circling him. "You'll just go running back to Klaus and beg him to take your undying servitude in exchange for him lifting the compulsion."

Flashes of memory from the night that Stefan sought out Klaus for the cure to Damon's werewolf bite played out in his mind. "What, are you implying that I should've just let you die a slow, painful death?" Stefan asked.

A resentful laugh rumbled in Damon's chest as he leaned in close to Stefan's ear. "At least we wouldn't be in this current predicament."

Now it was Stefan's turn to laugh, to give up on trying to handle this suffocating situation with any ounce of sanity. "No, brother," he said. "We wouldn't be in this current predicament if _you_ weren't in love with _my _girlfriend."

Something snapped inside Damon – a visible disconnect in any sort of control he had over their discourse. In a flash of movement, Damon ripped the ropes with his bare hands, all while biting through the pain from his burning flesh. The suddenness of it all overwhelmed Stefan, considering the weakened state he was in from the strained position and Vervain-soaked ropes.

"I think this has been a long time coming," Damon snarled. Stefan replied with a confused expression just before Damon's fist slammed into his cheek. There was so much force and emotion fueling the punch. Stefan could _feel_ parts of the bone fracture before the healing process started.

Stefan fell to the floor, clutching his face. It took him less than a minute to recover, though, before he was back up on his feet, just in time to block the next of Damon's assaults. "I couldn't agree with you more, for once," Stefan spat, gripping Damon's forearm and bending his wrist at an abnormal angle. "Maybe, I can beat some sense into that thick skull of yours." Then, he pulled the contorted arm behind Damon's back, finally earning a groan of pain.

Despite Stefan believing himself to have the upper hand, Damon continued to fight back, with disturbing ease. Damon kneed Stefan right in the abdomen, successfully knocking his breath out of him and giving him just enough space to get away from Stefan and grab the stake that had caught his eye at the beginning of their brawl.

Without a moment of hesitation, Damon thrust the stake into Stefan's chest, missing his heart by a tiny, though intentional distance. As Stefan gasped for air, Damon stepped behind him and wrapped his throat in a chokehold. "Had this been a year ago, I think we both know that this would've gone straight through your heart," he said, digging the stake a little further into the flesh.

"Why…" Stefan wheezed. "Why not just kill me now? Wouldn't that be a part of Klaus's compulsion, to act on all your desires?"

"Let me tell you a little secret, brother. Ever since Klaus compelled me, I've felt my humanity slowly slipping away." Damon shrugged before unceremoniously ripping the stake from Stefan's chest. "I guess I want to keep you alive long enough to watch me _truly _lose myself," he sneered.

* * *

The following morning, Elena awoke to the sound of a vibrating phone. Through lidded eyes, she glared at the phone and rolled over. She didn't even remember falling asleep last night.

All she remembered, aside from the _incident _with Damon, was making a deal with Klaus. She groaned, either because of that detail or because her phone would not stop ringing.

The screen displayed one new text message. "All that noise for one text?" she grumbled, while wiping sleep from her eyes. The text read: Ready when you are, love.

_Speak of the devil_, she thought. As much as she would've loved remaining burrowed under layers of sheets and blankets, Elena knew she had to get this business with Klaus over with. The sooner she completed her part of the deal, the sooner he'd help Damon.

That was all that mattered.

Discarding the clothes from last night in the darkest corner of her closet, Elena quickly changed and drove over to the Mikaelson mansion. Memories of the ball, which seemed so long ago, plagued Elena's mind.

She had felt nauseated watching Stefan so easily snap Damon's neck so that she could meet with Esther in peace. But that's just the thing – she wasn't at peace. Aside from having a conversation with a thousand-year-old witch miraculously revived from the dead, Elena couldn't get the sound of his bones snapping out of the back of her mind.

Then came the real slap-to-the-face.

"_No, I'm mad at you because I love you," he said, perhaps divulging more than he intended. But the words couldn't be recalled. _

"_Well, maybe that's the problem," she replied before processing what his words meant. Regret overwhelmed her the moment she saw that crestfallen look in his eyes. _

Those five words set all of this in motion. Damon was upset, so he responded by sleeping with Rebekah. He continued to use her for information. She finally realized she was being used and sought her revenge, but then Klaus interfered and now Damon was a heartless monster.

Elena's eyes watered as she made her way up the grand porch. After several knocks gone unattended, Elena checked the doorknob and found it to be unlocked.

"Klaus?" she called, a small shiver crawling down her spine at the eerie echo of her own voice bouncing off the rotunda-shaped wall.

"Nik's not much of a morning person," a male voice said from behind her. Elena let out a gasp as she spun around, only to find no one there. "Up here, darling."

She turned her attention to the winding staircase to find none other than Kol smirking down at her from the balcony. "You must be Kol," she said flatly.

"The one and only." He leaped over the railing and landed with perfect poise a couple of feet in front of her. "What's the lovely Petrova doppelganger doing here, all by herself?" He shot her what she assumed was supposed to be a charming grin, but the intention behind it felt like anything but that.

"I'm here to see Klaus."

"Don't bother wasting your time with that little twat, Kol," Rebekah said, sauntering into the foyer. "She's such a bore."

"Are you so sure about that, sister?" Kol countered. "She sure seems to have the Salvatore's attention."

Rebekah stepped closer to Elena. A nasty smirk spread across her lips. "They're only attracted to her because she's the new and improved version of their former love, nothing more."

"At least I'm not used and then thrown away like a piece of trash."

"Don't you two have anything better to do?" Klaus asked in a bored tone. "Elena is here to see me. She shouldn't have to endure your childish conversations." For the first time in her life, Elena couldn't have been happier to see him.

Without the normal hesitation or fear that accompanied being in Klaus's presence, Elena followed him into a minimally furnished room. A nurse stood perfectly still in the corner of the room. She wore a blank expression, suggesting that she was compelled. Elena mentally scoffed at the whole arrangement.

After all these years, didn't Klaus know how to tap a vein with something other than his fangs?

Klaus, displaying an uncharacteristically bright smile, strolled over to a chair he'd placed in the center of the room. He swept his arm out in a dramatic gesture. "Ready when you are."

Elena complied and sat down in the chair. The nursed silently approached her and began her duty. Elena just barely cringed upon feeling the needle slide past her skin and into the vein. She felt Klaus clamp his hand down on her shoulder, as if she really would've gotten up and ran at this point.

To be honest, Elena didn't know what to expect from Klaus. He could be taking a couple pints worth…or he could drain her to the last possible point before death. She shuddered upon noticing out of the corner of her eye that two blood-filled bags were already neatly placed on a nearby table.

"I think that's good enough," she said slowly, feeling the lack of blood weaken her.

The hand that had been placed on her shoulder moved over to her throat. He checked her pulse and then plucked the needle from her arm. The nurse placed a bandage, decorated with a smiley face, over the small wound.

After compelling the nurse to leave and forget the whole ordeal, Klaus walked over to the bags and picked one up. "I thank you for your contribution, Elena."

She laughed as she made her way to the door. "You say that as if I willingly obliged."

"Ah, well, that's where the beauty of this plan shows. You did this for me because dear Damon's in a bit of a predicament. If he hadn't been involved, I would've had to use force. It would've been messy," he said playfully.

Elena stopped in her tracks. He made a damn good point. _Was this really why he compelled Damon? To have leverage?_ She wondered. Tossing him a half-hearted glare over her shoulder, she replied, "Good for you. You got what you wanted, now it's your turn to uphold your end of the deal."

"Right you are. I'll visit him shortly."

She wasted no time retreating to the front door, lest she have another run-in with his immature, though dangerous siblings.

"Do you realize how foolish you were, making a deal with Klaus?" _Elijah_.

"What else was I supposed to do?" she demanded, spinning around to face him with angry tears flooding her eyes. "He's the only one who can help Damon!"

Elijah, with all his dignified grace, stepped toward her and gently placed a hand on her arm, tracing over the bandage. "Are you so sure about that?"

"Stefan and I both tried to get through to him, but he just lashed out…"

"Love is a vampire's greatest weakness," he said in a bored tone, as if he'd recited the line a thousand times. "However, _love_ could break through Klaus's compulsion. You have to truly prove to Damon that you love him."

She shook her head, defeated. "That just barely worked with Stefan. With Damon…it's different. My feelings for him are different."

Elijah flashed a sympathetic smile. "All I ask is that you don't rely on Klaus. He compelled Damon for a reason. Do you truly believe he would undo it?"

* * *

Damon heard Stefan leave early in the morning and was surprised to find that he was still absent this late in the day. He laughed to himself as he stepped over to the minibar in the parlor and poured himself a glass of Bourbon. He must've either scared or pissed off Stefan, and that filled him with delight.

His thoughts were interrupted by someone else's presence. "Aren't you going to offer me a drink?" Klaus asked.

Damon smirked and reached for another glass. "I guess I should thank you. These past couple days have been phenomenal."

Klaus shrugged, feigning modesty. "Everyone deserves a shot at true freedom. Speaking of all this freedom, why are you just lounging about here alone?"

Damon was both intrigued and annoyed by the question. He wasn't on some sort of schedule. He could do whatever he wanted. "Guess I'm just feeling lazy today."

Klaus downed the alcoholic beverage in three quick gulps. "Fair enough. You know, Elena stopped by my place earlier today," he paused, noting the flare of jealousy in Damon's eyes. "She was begging me to revert the compulsion. I take it she's not as pleased with the arrangement as you are."

The last person Damon was going to discuss emotions with was Klaus. At first, he didn't mind that Klaus just let himself in. But now that Elena was involved, the atmosphere of the conversation changed.

"All she has to do is _admit_ that she has feelings for me. It's all I want to hear…" he murmured.

Klaus leaned forward with interest. "So make her admit it."

Damon rolled his eyes. "Where's the fun in that?"

"No, not compulsion. Do something to her that's so intense, she'll have to come to terms with how she feels."

As much as Damon wanted to ignore Klaus and kick him out of the boarding house, he had to admit that he'd given him an idea. If sex didn't work, then he'd just have to try something that's more intimate, less invasive.

* * *

Alaric felt wired. He hadn't heard from Elena all day, but Stefan said she made it out of the boarding house. They decided to make a plan without Elena's involvement. The rest would depend on whether or not Stefan could convince Bonnie to help.

Even so, his mind was preoccupied with other things. Disturbing thoughts would pass through his mind – thoughts of Bill Forbes taking his last breaths. Why would he even pretend to know what that would've looked like? He wasn't there…right?

Meredith, concerned about Alaric, invited him to join her for dinner. Things seemed to be going well, which was further confirmed when Alaric suggested they go to the Gilbert house for drinks.

She was going on about some medical journal she'd read recently, but it was all going in one ear and out the other. Alaric sat with his back straight and a glass of wine clutched between his fingers. He couldn't stop his left leg from bouncing up and down.

The walls felt like they were closing in…

"Oh, hi, Elena!" Meredith exclaimed, bringing Alaric back to his surroundings. He glanced toward the front door and saw that she was in fact back home, safe and sound.

Elena peered into the room and smiled, though it didn't come across as genuine. Alaric got up off the couch and embraced her. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," she said softly.

"And Damon?"

"I don't know. I've been with Klaus all day. He says he's going to fix everything."

"And you believe him?" Alaric asked, skeptical.

"Guess we'll just have to wait till tomorrow. I'm going to call it a night."

"That's probably for the best. Keep me posted if anything changes."

Alaric watched her as she walked upstairs, disappearing from his sight. As Meredith offered to get them another bottle of wine, his eyes darted over to the kitchen with a growing, malicious intent.

* * *

After trudging up the stairs, Elena went to her room and collapsed on the bed. Finding the position to be somewhat uncomfortable, she rolled onto her side and was terrified by the feeling of another body resting next to her – one that hadn't been there when she first entered the room.

Damon smirked, watching the realization hit her as her eyes bulged open and a scream began to form in her throat. Not wanting to bring any unwanted attention, Damon acted quickly, placing a hand over her mouth with just the right amount of pressure.

Unable to speak, all Elena could do was stare at him with her big, terrified eyes, which they both knew wouldn't do much to save her. Even so, Elena refused to let him torment her again.

Remaining as still as possible, she subtly reached into her back pocket for her cell phone. Once she retrieved the device, she slid it under the blanket and tried her best to navigate the menus without actually looking at. She forced herself to keep her eyes locked on Damon's.

"You don't seem too happy to see me," he noted, his voice losing that condescending edge it possessed yesterday. "Do you hate me, Elena?" He pulled his hand away from her mouth with caution, just in case she opted to scream instead of respond to him.

"Of course I don't hate you, Damon. But I can't handle this anymore. This isn't you!"

Her fingers fumbled across the phone's smooth screen. Alaric would be at the top of her contact list.

Damon's eyes narrowed. "You don't know who I am."

"Unless your behavior has been one big act this past year, then yes, I think I have an idea of who you _could_ be, at least."

She desperately wanted to peek under the blanket to make sure that she was in the right menu, but couldn't risk it. But then, an even worse thought dawned upon her. Damon was still compelled.

In that case, she definitely needed to act quickly. So, she took a shot in the dark and pressed what she hoped was the 'call' button.

Damon could hear the sound of a phone ringing, not as a recipient but rather as the caller. He scanned the room, knowing that it must be Elena's phone. He noticed that one of her arms was tucked under the blanket. _Bingo_.

In a quick motion, he ripped the blanket off her, grabbed the phone and threw it across the room, shattering the screen in the process. Elena looked petrified, which both aroused and angered him.

"Don't make me drag Alaric into this," he groaned. "I'd prefer not to kill one of my only friends in this godforsaken town."

"You wouldn't kill him," she said, surprisingly confident.

Damon nodded in begrudging agreement. "Maybe not, but you should know I wouldn't have a single problem killing that doctor friend of his." To show how serious he was, he grinned, exposing his fangs.

In the fleeting seconds it took Elena to develop her response, Damon picked up on some interesting noises coming from the kitchen. A knife being pulled from the wooden block. Meredith's pointless pleas. Alaric's heavy, determined footsteps. Damon wasn't sure what the hell was going on, but it would seem Alaric was carrying his threat through for him.

"What do you want?" Elena asked, completely unaware of what was transpiring downstairs. "Just tell me what you want, and I'll do it. Leave her out of this."

"Fine," he said. "Let's get down to business, then."

Elena's brow furrowed in confusion as he leaned behind her and stacked a couple pillows up against the headboard. She scooted out of the way as he slid behind her, reclining against his makeshift chair. Confusion returned to concern as he patted his lap, indicating that he wanted her to come closer.

Knowing that she didn't have much of a choice, she crawled across the bed and leaned back against his chest, honestly surprised at how comfortable she felt. "What's the point of this?" she asked. "Don't tell me you just came over to cuddle."

"Why? Would you like to take things a little further?" he teased. He felt her tense up almost immediately. "Relax, Elena. I think you'll actually enjoy what I have in mind."

His fingers ghosted across her arm, leaving behind a trail of goose bumps. His hand stopped once he reached her wrist. He could feel her pulse thumping beneath his fingertips. Elena sat still, heartbeat steadily increasing from the curiosity and anticipation as Damon brought her wrist to his lips and kissed the flesh.

He bent his head down to her ear and said, "I want you to relax, go with the flow." The feeling of his steamy breath billowing across her ear and the sound of his velvet voice encouraged her to nod in compliance.

Now that he had her in the right state of mind, Damon was ready. He bit into his wrist with swift precision, shoving the bloodied skin into Elena's mouth as he then bit into her wrist and slowly sucked the blood out of her veins in a sensual rather than vicious manner.

Elena cringed at the initial feeling of his razor sharp teeth cutting her skin, but once he wrapped his lips around the wound and began drinking from her, she felt the pain vanish. The blood from his veins had entered her system and replaced pain with pleasure.

She'd never felt anything like it before; no sexual orgasm could compare. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head as her hands clutched his arm, pushing it further into her mouth. Damon wrapped an arm securely around her, pressing their bodies together in an unbreakable embrace.

Naturally, Damon had shared blood with other women, but this was by far the best. Elena's blood taste delicious, but it was her positive reaction and participation that really threw him over the edge. _This_ was what he wanted, what he craved.

Yet as euphoric as it felt, the experience came to a shattering halt once he felt the all too familiar feeling of a Bennett witch's aneurism spell wreaking havoc in his mind. Damon cried out in pain, causing Elena to snap back to reality. "Damon! What's happening?" she asked in a breathy voice.

The bedroom door flew open, revealing Bonnie and Stefan. "Looks like we got here just in time," she said, noticing the bloodstained sheets.

* * *

Alaric is going to start to turn darkside in the next chapter, though it will happen a little differently than it did in the show.

Regrettably, Bonnie had to interrupt a romantic Delena moment, but the good news is Elena might FINALLY come to terms with her feelings for him ;)

Will love be enough to save Damon?

**Comments?**


End file.
